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Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots over Indiana Pacers guard Ethan Thompson (55) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Sunday, April 12, 2026.<\/p>\n
Michael Conroy\/AP<\/p>\n
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) drives against Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, April 10, 2026.<\/p>\n
Nell Redmond\/AP<\/p>\n
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham dunks ahead of Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, April 10, 2026.<\/p>\n
Nell Redmond\/AP<\/p>\n
Detroit Pistons forward Ronald Holland II (5) talks with guard Cade Cunningham (2), who did not play due to an injury, during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Detroit.<\/p>\n
Duane Burleson\/AP<\/p>\n
Indiana Pacers guard Taelon Peter (4) drives on Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Sunday, April 12, 2026.<\/p>\n
Michael Conroy\/AP<\/p>\n
DETROIT (AP) \u2014 The NBA playoffs, not awards, drive Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham to chase greatness.<\/p>\n
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A year after Cunningham had a first-round exit in his postseason debut, the point guard is motivated to lead the three-time championship franchise to success it hasn’t experienced in nearly two decades.<\/p>\n
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After falling one game short of the league\u2019s 65-game minimum rule, he won an appeal to be part of the NBA awards voting this season<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a lot to me,\u201d he said Friday.<\/p>\n
It will mean more to him, though, to at least lift Detroit out of the first round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n
The Pistons will host the winner of the Charlotte-Orlando game in Game 1 of the first round on Sunday night, shooting to snap a league-record, 10-game postseason home losing streak that dates to the last year they advanced.<\/p>\n
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Detroit hasn’t won a playoff series since 2008, when it reached the conference finals for a sixth straight season to end a run that included the 2004 NBA title<\/a> and coming up one victory short<\/a> of repeating the next season.<\/p>\n The Pistons were in the playoffs last year for the first time since 2019 and ended a league-record, 15-game postseason losing streak before being eliminated by the New York Knicks in Game 6.<\/p>\n Cunningham had chances to make winning plays in the games Detroit lost, and learned painful lessons when he didn’t come through.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThat was a chip on my shoulder to get better body-wise, skillset wise,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Cunningham added about 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason and said he feels strong staying at a weight that used to make him feel heavy.<\/p>\n Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff has seen Cunningham’s condition prepare him for the rigors of the game.<\/p>\n \u201cHis ability to drive the basketball and play through contact because he is so forceful, the added strength lets him do that,\u201d Bickerstaff said. \u201cDefensively, he can guard bigger guys. We switch them on the 4s, sometimes 5s, and he can be physical with guys. He can rebound in traffic.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “The strength helped him all around, and I think the motivation came by that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Cunningham’s offseason training couldn’t prevent an injury he had late a month ago with a collapsed lung that knocked him out of 11 games.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m still trying to get back to full speed and just get my rhythm and everything back, but I\u2019m getting close,” Cunningham said. \u201cI\u2019m still just knocking a little bit more of the dust off every day.\u201d<\/p>\n In his first of three games following the injury earlier this month, Cunningham had his 38th double-double to lead all NBA guards.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The 24-year-old Cunningham, drafted No. 1 overall by Detroit in 2021, is in the first year of a five-year contract that will pay him more than $269 million.<\/p>\n He provided an early return on the investment as a first-time All-Star starter. He finished the season with 23.9 points, a career-high 9.9 rebounds and 5.5 rebounds a game, leading the franchise to a 60-win season and its first division title in 18 years, to likely earn another spot on an all-league team.<\/p>\n Cunningham was a third-team All-NBA player last season after leading one of best turnarounds in league history.<\/p>\n And like a player simply trying to make the team, Cunningham consistently was one of the first and last players on the court for practices all season, including on Friday.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cHe’s a guy who’s in the gym every day,\u201d said Jalen Duren, who was a first-time All-Star this season. \u201cIt’s a testament to the work he puts in. Even spending time with him in the summer, he works hard. He deserves everything that\u2019s coming to him and more.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/a>
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